Improvement in railroad-switches



C. W. JONES.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

Patented March 28,1876.

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CHARLES W. JONES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RlLROAD-SWITCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0, 175,2S7, dated March 28, 1876; application tiled February 16, 1876.

Z' all whom it may concer-n Be it known that I, GHaRLEs W. JONES,

ot' the city and countyof Philadelphia and. y State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement iny Safety-Switches; and I do hereby declare the following t be a clear and exact description of the nature there;

being had to the accompanying drawings,-

making part of this specification, in which- Figures l and 2 are plan views of the switch Fig. 3 is a trans-` embodying lny invention. n verse section in line as fr, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a transverse section in liney y, Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is an end view of one of the rails.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

My invention consists in the' butt end of a switch having the main-track rail overlap the outside rail of the adjacent portion of the main track and the outside rail of the adjacent portion of the side track. It further consists of two guards or guide-plates, extending parallel, and moving with the spring-points, the butt end being jointed to and shifted by the sliding bar ofthe points, and the opposite end being pivoted to a tie, the guard or plates having each an additional face or sloping ange projecting laterally therefrom.

By these means, one side of the rail is solid and the other is a liange surface, thus allowing the train to pass alternately from either track over a smooth and level surface, the flange surface carrying the wheel from the exposed rail alternately to the main-track rail.

In the event that the switch is wrong for the approaching train, the guards lock the' spring-points, respectively, holding firm the" point that the switch is set for, and allowing the other point to be moved by the ange of the wheel, the latter point being the only part of the'switch that moves when a train passes from the track opposite the one for which the switch is set.

Referring to the drawings, A A' represent the two rails of the main track; B B', the adjacent rails thereof, and C C' the adjacent rails of the side track, the rails B C being at the butt end of the switch. One rail, A, overlaps the outer rail B of the main track, and the other rail, A', overlaps the outer rail C' of the side tracks, the rails at the respective laps being firmly bolted and spiked.

It will be seen that the rails A B are continuous, as are also the rails A' C'.

D D' represent sliding point-s, which are arranged between the main rails A A', and they are pivoted at the butt end of the switch to a transverselysliding bar, E, which`will be operated by a switch-lever. The points at the heel end ofthe switch will be held against the main rails by the actions of springsF F', suitably applied, and which, in the present case,

are fitted on the headed rods, which A,pass loosely through the main rails, and are secured to the points, the springs being confined between the heads of the rods and the adjacent portions of the outer faces of the main rails. To the bar E there are also pivoted two guards, G G', whose opposite ends are pivoted to atie adjacent to the spring ends of the points l) D', and the guards are arranged From between the two sliding points D D'. the outer sides of the guards or guide-plates G G' there projectiianges H H', which slope in the direction from the butt of the switch to the point thereof. From the outer faces of the sliding points D D', at the butt end of the switch above the bases of the points, there project iianges J J'.

t will be seen that the butt ends of the sliding points and guards move together, owing to the action of the bar E.

The operation is as follows: When the parts are in position shown in Fig. l, the main track is clear for the passage ofthe train, and

the bar E is locked or secured.

It will be seen that the point D and rail B and point D' and rail B', respectively, are continuous, and the guard G is closely in contact with the point D, thus locking the said point, and preventing the movement of the latter, and insuring the safety of the cars in their passage past the switch.

Should cars run down the side track in the direction of the arrow, when the wheels reach the butt end of the switch, the flange of one wheel--say the right-hand wheel-moves on the flange J ofthe pointD', and its head passes over the space a', occasioned by the overlapping of the rails A C', until the tread fully reaches the main rail A', when said Wheel will run ou the seid mein rail. Then the flange of seid wheel enters between the points D' and main ruil, thus moving,r out the former, until the Wheel has cleared the point, when the spring F' returns the point to its normal position closed for the main track. The tlunge of the other wheel-the lefthaud Wheel in the present euserides on the sloping tlange H of the guard G, und when the tread of' the wheel reaches the point D, the said wheel runs on seid point, and thus reaches the main truck A. It wili thus be noticed that the car pusseil from the exposed ends b b' ofthe rails C G' to the main truck.

In Fig. 2, the switch is shifted from the main track to the side truck, und the cars will pass to the side track, :is usually. Should, however, the cnrs be coming,lr on the main rails B B', in the direction of the larrow, the nnge of' the right-hund wheel will pass from the rail B' onto the flange H' of the guard G', and, consequently, reach the point D' and the lnuin rail A'.

It will be noticed that the point D' is now locked by its adjacent guard G. The iiunge ofthe left-hund wheel mores on the flange J 0f the point D, and its tread passes over the space a, occasioned by the overlapping of the rails A B, until the tread fully reaches the main rail A, when the wheel will run on said mnin rail. Then the ange of said Wheel euters between the point D and main ruil, thus moving the former until the wheel hns cleared the point, when th`e spring F returns the point to its normal position, closed, for the main track. It will thus be seen that the enr passed from the exposed ends b" b' of' the rails B B' to the mein tra-ck.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new, and secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The switch, having at its butt end the rails of' the mein truck, overlap the outside rail of the Adjacent portion of the mein track and the outside rails of the adjacent portion ofthe side track, substantially es and for the purpose set forth.

2. The guards G G', with tlenges H H' projecting laterally therefrom, and located adjucent to the sliding points D D', substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The mein rails A B., side rails C, movehle points D D', sliding bar E. springs F F', gunrdsGG', and Haugen H H'J J constructed, combined, and operating substantially es and for the purpose set forth.

CHAS. W. JONES.

Witnesses:

J oHN A. WIEDERSHEIM, H. E. HINDMARsH. 

